Operation Sea Guardian
The Operation Sea Guardian is an operation of NATO in the Mediterranean . It was decided at the NATO summit in Warsaw in June 2016 as a follow-up operation to Operation Active Endeavor and began on November 9, 2016 with several NATO warships and aircraft. The mission is led from NATO's Allied Maritime Command in Northwood, United Kingdom .
tasks
Sea Guardian is used for maritime surveillance, the fight against terrorism and capacity building in the Mediterranean area with the aim of identifying and counteracting critical developments in the maritime environment at an early stage. In addition, the presence of the emergency services should act as a preventive regulation factor.
Under certain circumstances, ships suspected of being linked to terrorist organizations or arms smuggling may be controlled and searched. Member states can delegate additional tasks to the operation, including protecting maritime routes and critical infrastructure or combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Participation and collaboration with third parties
The NATO member states participate in Sea Guardian with ships and aircraft. The operation is supported by NATO's standing maritime task forces, the Standing NATO Maritime Groups ( SNMG 1 and SNMG 2 ), when they operate in the Mediterranean. The German Navy is regularly involved in one of the two with a ship, currently mainly as part of the NATO presence in the Aegean Sea, which is working with Sea Guardian on the situation.
There is a similar cooperation regarding the situation and logistics with the EU-led EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia . Sea Guardian also serves as a platform for cooperation with states and organizations in the Mediterranean region, thereby contributing to the security and maritime strengthening of Europe's southern flank. This can include the exchange of information and capacity building among neighboring countries.
Ships and boats of the German Navy, whose transit route runs through the Mediterranean Sea, are participating in this mission in "Associated Support" during this time. Associated Support means that the tasks of SEA GUARDIAN are fulfilled, but the subordination relationship remains national and does not pass to NATO.
mandate
The German Bundestag approved the involvement of the Bundeswehr on September 29, 2016 and extended it several times, most recently on March 13, 2020 to March 31, 2021. The mandate limit is 650 soldiers. Sea Guardian is operationally managed from NATO's Allied Maritime Command in Northwood, near London . Officially, the German soldiers involved are subordinate to the naval command in Rostock .
Web links
- Official information from the Mission Command via Sea Guardian , accessed August 2, 2018
- Official NATO information about SeaGuardian , accessed August 2, 2018
- Images from NATO Maritime Command to Sea Guardian on Flickr , accessed August 2, 2018
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Information from the operational command via Sea Guardian , accessed on August 2, 2018